Since Saint Joseph’s Day on 19 March 1993, Andechs Weissbier Hell has found many new friends. Untreated and bottled in its natural state of yeasty turbidity, this is a top fermented beer for the epicure.

Its light honey colour makes it an immediate eyecatcher. Then there’s the opalescence and fine structure of the yeast turbidity. At the same time, the creamy, fine pored head invites you to get to know this light Weissbier from the Holy Mountain. You’ll need two takes to enjoy the aromas to the full.

First, distinctive fruity aromas like banana and honeydew melon come to the fore, followed by fine cloves. Andechser Weissbier Hell is a very tangy, refreshing treat with the conviction of a full, soft body. It concludes on a finely balanced interplay of light sweet honey and a delicate acidity with undertones of bitter hoppiness that quickly subside into a harmonious aftertaste.

A Weissbier that embodies a slice of the Andechs lifestyle: finely yeasty, tangy, and sparkling, it refreshes and renews the thirst for more

Pours yellow, medium cloudy with a very nice and fluffy white head. Smells quite good: yeasty, creamy banana and white pepper. The profile is as simple and traditional as can be but it's executed damn near perfectly--the only better-smelling hefe I can think of is Weinstephaner's, which is the universally agreed upon standard bearer.

Tastes fantastic. Melon and banana start things off, with the addition of the former a welcome surprise. The wheatmalt is less spicy than I'm used to, which leaves room for wonderful fruit complexities. Bananas and melons continue throughout, getting gradually more clovey and peppery, ending on long, lingering sweetness that's like is bananas made juice instead of smoothies. The body is a bit thinner than I'm used to the the style, but it leads to a wonderful crispness that makes the beer more quaffable.

this is hands down the best hefe i have ever had. i know people rant and rave about their dopplebock, but this is next level for me, truly incredible. you think you know a hefe or something, think youve had every possible deviation and variation and alteration that exists on it, and frankly a lot of them get pretty samey, but this is the king of the heap. its appropriately cloudy, goldenrod colored, with several inches of muted grayish white foam on top. great retention. it smells rustic and old, very very traditional, with a yeasty banana cream complexion, and raw wheat as its base. its a simple equation, but its done expertly well here, and one sip confirms that this yeast is something special. silky rich banana notes and earthy pale malted wheat work wonders together, lasting forever, and hinting at candied lemon rind, black pepper, and something a little more herbal. its got that pleasant old dusty german thing going on, but it also feels really fresh to me. carbonation is intense, and there is an awesome creaminess and weight to the feel. im not sure how you can make a hefe any better than this one, and the fact that its not rare, and is super super cheap makes it that much better. german brewers are going to start getting a lot more of my attention. cant say enough about this one. (1,307 characters)

Andechser Weissbier Hell has an extremely thick, white, spongy head, some lingering lacing, and a hazy, yellow-gold (gold, once the bottom caked contents are swished and poured in), and fierce bubble streams. The aroma is of some banana, coriander, clove, and white bread, with a background of hard-boiled egg. Taste is of spiced, white bread, Cream-O-Wheat, and tap water. Mouthfeel is medium, and Andechser Weissbier Hell finishes wet, drinkable, and a bit dull.

A-The beer is darker than many of the style with more brown hues than most. The head is impressive: white, dense, and about two and one-half fingers tall to start with great retention. Carbonation is very active in the murky liquid.

S-The aroma has a slightly sharp wheat flavor with straw and grain husk notes, as well as mushy, overripe banana. There is also some bread dough and clove spice. Very light lemon.

T-The taste is similar. I get lots of banana, some bread dough, straw, husk, very light lemon and orange. The phenol flavors are interesting here, but I'm not totally in love. Little to no acidity.

M-The beer is light, a touch watery, but very easy to drink and not far off from the style. Carbonation is active but smooth.

O-Having just been exposed to Andech's amazing doppelbock, this beer is something of a letdown. It is not bad, but this nothing like the top-of-class that I was hoping for. I found it a bit too mushy and doughy, and the husk flavor that provided the only real sharpness to balance the mushy banana was a bit odd. (1,117 characters)

Bottle coded L 3443:Pours a lovely slightly hazy yellow, clear enough for the carbonation that feeds the white head to be seen. That head is fluffy and grows quite large in the pour, and stays on the surface quite thickly through the drink. The nose leans a tad towards the fruity sweet side. I get apple and banana, or maybe a strawberry-banana combo in some whiffs.

The taste starts with the fruits from the nose, but is balanced mid-taste by some fairly neutral hops, likely noble. The flavors work very well together for me. The feel has a decent amount of carbonation, but in some sips seems a little too thin. I was looking for a lighter beer, so this didn't bother me too much.

Hefeweizen isn't usually a style I look for. I tend to like a more subtle version of the style with a fruity flavor, and this one works quite well for that. (851 characters)

A: The beer is a deep yellow color, with a large white head that fades slowly and leaves a very thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains wheat, bananas, caramelized malts and a very faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with flavors of wheat and a hearty but not too heavy malt character. Then some mildly sweet flavors banana and some citrus come in. The hops presence is very mild but complementary and brings an excellent balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

Golden yellow in color with a deep haze. Poured with a billowy, soapy, bright white cap with medium retention. Wheat malt, crackers, and estery pears with banana and light peppery phenols at the end. No hop aromas. Medium light bodied with aggressive, refreshing, effervescent carbonation. A light creaminess toward the end. Sweet banana and pear flavors accompanied by bready wheat. Medium low bitterness through the middle strikes a nice balance with the fruity esters. Light peppery notes near the end along with a pleasant tartness. No hop flavors. Finished cleanly and dryly. Overall very refreshing and easy drinking. Balance leans a bit toward the estery side as the phenolics were a bit light. (703 characters)

Wonderful hazy yellow in colour, smell of banana, vanilla and bubblegum, taste the same, almost no citric acidity, full and rich in flavour. One of the best Hefeweizens, for sure. Classic. Excellent with chili con carne. (220 characters)

500mL bottle, no apparent freshness date other than L2813 printed on the labelA - opaque and cloudy orange body with a tall ivory head that holds decent retentionS - typical hefe aroma with banana, wheat, clove, bubble gumT - good blend of banana, wheat, yeast, clove, bubblegum while being slightly tart on the peppery finishM - lighter body, effervescent making if feel fuller bodied, nice balance with a clean finishO - very solid German hefeweizen; I'd drink this any day I'm in the mood for one. (506 characters)

Pours a very cloudy light amber color with substantial head. Nice fruity, yeasty aroma for a hefeweizen. The taste is excellent, esters, malty and a nice hop finish. I prefer the dunkelweizen version but this is very good, one of the best although there are six Bavarian hefeweizen which I thought were better. Still beats out any U.S. craft hefe but a big margin. (365 characters)

Poured from a 500 ml bottle into a Celebrator pokal. Pours a light to medium golden amber with a half finger white head that dissipates to patches and ring around the glass, leaving light lacing. Classic hefeweizen aroma of wheat, clove light banana, slightly bready. Flavor is cracked wheat, clove, light breadiness, a touch of lemon citrus and a touch of toffee, finishing with dry wheat and light clove bitterness. Medium bodied with good carbonation. A perfectly balanced and flavored wheat beer that hits all the right notes for a hefeweizen. One of the best hefe I've had. Excellent. (589 characters)

Appearance: Usual cloudy gold body with a bit of an orange cast to it. Very long-lasting head bolstered by an effervescent carbonation.

Smell: Clove and gently plastic-like phenols over sweet wheat malt.

Taste: Lots of lemon tang at first, followed by clove, banana, and spicy phenolics. Richly flavored. As you progress the lemon fades as the malt builds on your palate and a note of vanilla comes through. Some chalky yeast appears in the finish; which is spicier than many, and drier than some others.